Band:	Malthusian
Album:	Below The Hengiform
Style:	Black metal, Death metal
Release date:	April 06, 2015
Guest review by:	Alex F

01. The Gasless Billows
02. Slouching Equinox
03. Forms Become Vapor

So much potential wasted. So much promise broken. These were my initial and sustained thoughts of Below The Hengiform. Coming off the colossal demo from 2013 appropriately titled MMXIII, I had so much hope for Malthusian's future. The demo was packed with intricate and complex songwriting without sacrificing the visceral chaos that they so expertly crafted. Instead of an expansion on that magnificence, what we are presented with on this EP is bland and derivative.

Malthusian are an Irish death metal group that on this debut EP are playing what seems to be a modern rendition of old school death metal with hints of the more cavernous aspects in the modern scene. Although the group has only been around for just over two years now, they have undergone a drastic change. Those familiar with the demo released in 2013 will notice a stark lack of density in the production, complexity in songwriting, and power in the vocal performance.

Gone are the wailing guitars enshrouded in dense rhythms and complex song structures. Instead the production has been reduced to a muddy and incredibly off-putting mess. This is my most pressing issue with the EP, as this style of death metal almost undeniably needs the production to provide a spine to the instrumentation. Rather than this, Below The Hengiform offers pure clarity between each instrument, with the bass lowered in the mix to the point of complete flaccidity.

This would not pose to be too detrimental if the instrumentation could stand on its own, but unfortunately it cannot. The guitar work is impressive from a technical standpoint, as is the drumming, however the actual songwriting leaves a lot to be desired. Upon a cursory listen it is not much to scoff at, and can even be mildly enjoyable, however repeated listens with attention to detail reveal a lack of variation within the guitar work that gets quite boring. The drumming at least constantly impresses me, with near constant changes and rather incredible fills interspersed throughout the entire run-time.

This leads us to the vocals, which my god are a step down from MMXIII. There are a grand total of two inflections utilized within the vocal-work; a weak low guttural that never seems to present the power intended, and a high pitched shriek-like vocalization in which every vocal chord reverberation can be heard in disgusting clarity. These two are layered frequently throughout the EP, in an attempt to add a bit more "oomph," but rather provide a mild annoyance on top of the instrument performance.

The introduction may have been overly harsh, but disappointment often yields frustration. This is not a bad release in my mind, but rather such a step down from a masterfully crafted demo that it is honestly difficult to accept. I can only hope that Malthusian regain the strength they proved to be capable of and redeem themselves from this misstep. Below The Hengiform will almost certainly please fans of a more standard style of death metal however, so do not simply pass it by because of my interpretation of it as a step-down.